Jaga Jazzist
Jaga JazzistBananfluer Overalt

One could think that remixing a “band of musicians” is a difficult task that only expert producers with great knowledge of studio techniques can do –especially because bands like Jaga Jazzist or Tortoise, who mix broken jazz rhythms with progressive rock riffs and who never repeat themselves, leave things to semi-chaotic evolution and hardly leave room for other ideas-, but that fear is not really justified. Anyone can put a knife in the material and come up with a way to transform it completely. This EP is a clear example of how the Norwegian’s electro-jazz saturation can serve as material for very different versions without straying too much from the original point of view. For example, the remix done by – sprutbass–, a new name to keep an eye out for on the skweee scene, goes to work with the rich percussion of the original of “Bananflauer Overalt”, one of the highlights of the not so acclaimed “One-Armed Bandit” (Ninja Tune, 2010), and shoots it in ten different, deliciously dizzying directions. Then there is FINAL’s version of “220 V Spektral”, which sounds more like a Booka Shade remix, and it becomes clear that the prime material offers a lot more to play with than we thought beforehand. But the best is saved for last, when Prins Thomas rolls up his sleeves, spits in his hands and starts to dissect the single as follows: panoramic and straight percussion without any jazz filigree, to sustain a long and hypnotic cosmic disco workout on which exotic harmonies, psychedelic effects and the humorous trail of the original melody are all present. Good job, fellaz. Richard EllmannJaga Jazzist - Bananfluer Overalt